France have named their World Cup squad for Qatar 2022 as they look to become the first nation in 60 years to retain the prize.
Still licking their wounds from a premature exit at Euro 2020, Didier Deschamps was eager to announce his resources to the world on Wednesday when he unveiled the squad that he’d be taking to Qatar.
And it didn’t disappoint with the subsequent squad boasting some of the most talented individuals in the men’s game from top to bottom, laying down a marker to any nation thinking of dethroning the champions.
France’s staggering depth in Qatar
With the exception of an atypically weak midfield – at least, by France‘s standards, that is – you’d be hard-pressed to argue that any other contender beyond Brazil would be able to compete with Deschamps’ embarrassment of riches.
From a back-line boasting Raphael Varane and Jules Kounde to forward ranks including Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe, the announcement truly did serve as a sobering reminder to anyone hoping of winning the World Cup as to what they’re up against.
Qatar 2022: Ultimate World Cup quiz
However, France’s squad for the tournament is all the more remarkable when you consider who it doesn’t include.
Not only are Deschamps’ options so staggering that plenty of fit and in-form players will have to settle for watching the World Cup from their sofas, but there was also a number of world-class stars ruled out through injury.
ARSENAL FEAR EXPOSED 😰 Neville & Rio Ferdinand’s SALTY ARSENAL TAKE🧂 (Football Terrace)
Which players didn’t make France’s squad?
As such, when we looked to construct the best XI of French players who weren’t in Deschamps’ squad – whether through injury or not – the line-up quickly took on a staggering level of quality.
So be sure to get a better idea than ever about just how breath-taking France’s squad for Qatar 2022 truly is by checking out the astonishing XI of players who it didn’t actually include.
GK: Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
A calf injury meant that AC Milan‘s number one, who helped them to Scudetto glory last season, missed out on a place in Deschamps’ squad by a nose hair.
RB: Nordi Mukiele (Paris Saint-Germain)
Not necessarily a household name amongst Premier League fans, but don’t underestimate PSG’s Mukiele, who made over 140 appearances for RB Leipzig and boasts one senior cap for France.
CB: Wesley Fofana (Chelsea)
Fofana, who is valued at a dizzying €65 million, continues to rehab the knee injury he picked up just four games into his time at Stamford Bridge. He’s still awaiting his first cap for France.
CB: Clément Lenglet (Tottenham Hotspur)
Lenglet has 15 France caps and over 150 appearances for Barcelona to his name, but even a solid start to life in the Premier League wasn’t enough to earn him a nod.
LB: Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid)
It was touch and go as to whether or not Mendy would be included in Deschamps’ squad, but the Champions League winner and nine-cap international missed out at the death.
CM: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Kante won’t just miss the World Cup, but months and months of action with the Chelsea star – who’s played over 50 times for his country – picking up a serious hamstring injury.
CM: Paul Pogba (Juventus)
A knee injury necessitating surgery derailed Pogba’s World Cup hopes before he even properly marked his Juventus return. He’s a regular for France having amassed no less than 91 caps.
CM: Nabil Fekir (Real Betis)
The Liverpool signing that never was, Fekir won the World Cup with France back in 2018 and boasts two goals across 25 caps for his country.
RW: Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
Turn your nose up at Martial’s presence as much as you like, but he’s looked sensational at times for Erik ten Hag and boasts 82 career goals for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
ST: Wissam Ben Yedder (AS Monaco)
A consistently lethal goalscorer with his last seven seasons reaping tallies of 32, 22, 19, 30, 22, 18 and 23 strikes respectively across spells with Toulouse, Sevilla and Monaco.
LW: Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen)
Valued at an ice-cold €50 million, Diaby has spent the last three years in the Bundesliga, scoring 41 goals in all competitions and turning out eight times for his country.
France’s embarrassment of riches
Mind blown? Well, what if we then went and told you that our line-up still didn’t include players like Alexandre Lacazette, Allan Saint-Maximin, Tanguy Ndombele, Thomas Lemar, Lucas Digne and Marcus Thuram?
It really does underline just how many top-class players Deschamps can choose from even when world-class staples of the side such as Pogba and Kante are ruled out by no fault of their own.
And even in a world where, say, Griezmann or even Mbappe had been similarly confined to the treatment table, then the proof is in the pudding that there would still be a long queue of top talents waiting to take their place.
Read more: World Cup 2022: Dates, Schedule, UK Kick Off Times, Stadiums, Groups, Tickets, Odds and Much More
So although the World Cup has never been won on squad quality alone, nor will it ever be, there can be no denying the eye-watering levels of depth that France will be able to mine in Qatar.
And nothing spells that out quite as explicitly as the quality of players Deschamps couldn’t even or didn’t even include. Madness.
You can find all of the latest football news and rumours right here.
